Animal news, feature and articles
We live on a planet with millions of species of animals -and a rich, diverse collection of known wildlife, and yet new species are being identified seemingly every day — both living and extinct.
Whether it’s the deadliest snakes, longest-living creatures or the history of the dinosaurs, at Live Science, our expert writers are here to help you understand Earth's incredible fauna — past and present — with the latest animal news, features and articles.
Latest about Animals
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Sneaky bamboo can control the genes of the pandas eating it, scientists discover
By Jess Thomson Published
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Watch polar bear cubs emerge from their winter den for 1st time on Svalbard
By Sascha Pare Published
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Australia's 'upside down' dinosaur age had two giant predators, 120 million-year-old fossils reveal
By Patrick Pester Published
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Reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone helped entire ecosystem thrive, 20-year study finds
By Olivia Ferrari Published
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Do animals suffer mental health problems?
By Rachel Blaser Published
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Dogs may have domesticated themselves because they really liked snacks, model suggests
By Olivia Ferrari Published
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See heartbreaking photos of 'bumpy' giraffe in South Africa with viral disease rarely seen in these tall animals
By Elise Poore Published
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Explore Animals
Amphibians
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Fungus is wiping out frogs. These tiny saunas could save them.
By Anthony Waddle Published
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'It's risky for male frogs out there': Female frog drags and attempts to eat screaming male
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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'Lovely freak of nature': Mutant blue frog hops into wildlife sanctuary workshop
By Sascha Pare Published
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'Kermit the Frog' creature that lived 270 million years ago looked like a 'stout salamander' with 'cartoonish' grin
By Jennifer Nalewicki Published
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Why is a mushroom growing on a frog? Scientists don't know, but it sure looks weird
By Elise Poore Published
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Dinosaur-era frog found fossilized with belly full of eggs and was likely killed during mating
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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Annual cane toad kill-a-thon is about to start in Australia. Here's how to eliminate the pests humanely.
By Sascha Pare Published
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World's tiniest fanged frog with males that 'hug' their babies discovered
By Emma Bryce Published
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Paradoxical frog: The giant tadpole that turns into a little frog
By Megan Shersby Published
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Arachnids
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'Zombie' spiders infected by never-before-seen fungus discovered on grounds of destroyed Irish castle
By Patrick Pester Published
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Scientists discover rare venom-spraying scorpion in Colombia
By Richard Pallardy Published
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'Big boy' spider becomes Australia's largest deadly funnel-web after surprise discovery
By Olivia Ferrari Published
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Giant funnel-web spider with fangs so big it could bite through a human fingernail arrives at Australian zoo
By Sascha Pare Published
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Hairy giant tarantula: The monster among mini tarantulas with 'feather duster' legs
By Lydia Smith Published
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Three remarkable spiders: A vegetarian, a vampire and a predator that uses 'pincer, fork and key'
By Ximena Nelson Published
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REFERENCE
Wolf spiders: Behavior, bites and other facts
By Jessie Szalay Last updated
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We now know why tarantulas are hairy — to stop army ants eating them alive
By Patrick Pester Published
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Brazilian wandering spiders: Bites & other facts
By Jessie Szalay Last updated
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Birds
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Ancient duck-like creature discovered in Antarctica may be the oldest modern bird ever discovered
By Kristel Tjandra Published
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Are birds reptiles?
By Emma Bryce Published
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Cheating little penguins are big on divorce, and other breeding secrets revealed
By Patrick Pester Published
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Turkey vulture: The bird that vomits acid up to 10 feet and poops antiseptic onto its legs
By Lydia Smith Published
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Worst die-off of a single species in the modern era discovered — and 'the blob' was to blame
By María de los Ángeles Orfila Published
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Weird photo captures secretary bird's third eyelid as it catches locust midflight
By Hannah Osborne Published
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Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?
By Elise Poore Published
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Mice on remote island that eat albatrosses alive sentenced to death by 'bombing,' scientists decree
By Patrick Pester Published
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Meet 'small diver': One of the tiniest penguins ever discovered
By Patrick Pester Published
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Cnidaria
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Giant phantom jelly: The 33-foot-long ocean giant that has babies out of its mouth
By Lydia Smith Published
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Watch 'spaghetti monster' with dozens of pink-tipped sausage legs swimming near Nazca Ridge
By Sascha Pare Published
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Otherworldly video captures rare jellyfish with a hitchhiker in its bell
By Elise Poore Published
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Newly discovered jellyfish is a 24-eyed weirdo related to the world's most venomous marine creature
By Sascha Pare Published
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Alien-like giant phantom jellyfish spotted in frigid waters off Antarctica
By Patrick Pester Published
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Thousands of cannonball jellyfish wash ashore after swarming North Carolina’s Outer Banks
By Jennifer Nalewicki Published
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Thousands of jellyfish swarm near Israel, mesmerizing images reveal
By Jamie Carter Published
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Largest crown jellyfish ever discovered is a blood red, saucer-like weirdo
By Brandon Specktor Published
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Scientists inserted disco 'strobe lights' into jellyfish to see how they function without brains
By Nicoletta Lanese Published
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Crustaceans
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New supergiant 'Darth Vader' sea bug discovered in South China Sea — and it's absolutely massive
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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Do crabs feel pain?
By Olivia Ferrari Published
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Large, ghostly white crab-like predator discovered at the bottom of the Atacama Trench
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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1-in-100 million 'cotton candy' lobster caught off New Hampshire alive and well at aquarium
By Tiffany Taylor Published
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'You can see its guts and things': Weird see-through crustacean with giant eyes discovered off the Bahamas
By Melissa Hobson Published
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Crabs keep evolving to go from the sea to the land — and back again
By Carys Matthews Published
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More than 10 billion snow crabs starved to death off the coast of Alaska. But why?
By Sascha Pare Published
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'Hauntingly beautiful' image of a golden horseshoe crab wins wildlife photography competition
By Sascha Pare Published
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Hoff crab: The hairy-chested crustacean that farms bacteria on its hairs
By Megan Shersby Published
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Extinct species
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Australia's 'upside down' dinosaur age had two giant predators, 120 million-year-old fossils reveal
By Patrick Pester Published
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What if a giant asteroid had not wiped out the dinosaurs?
By Sarah Wells Published
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'A set of large teeth sticking out of the ground': Scientists reveal ancient hypercarnivore discovered in Egyptian desert
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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Divers discover 500,000-year-old treasure trove of fossils in Florida sinkhole
By Tom Howarth Published
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Secrets of 1st dinosaurs lie in the Sahara and Amazon rainforest, study suggests
By Sascha Pare Published
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'Sexy' pterosaur tail should have been nightmare for flying. How did it work?
By Patrick Pester Published
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Giant horned dinosaur's fossils were destroyed in WWII — but photos reveal it was an unknown species
By Patrick Pester Published
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World's tiniest cat was a palm-sized tiddler that lived in China 300,000 years ago
By Emma Bryce Published
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Enormous skull of 200-million-year-old giant dinosaur discovered in China
By Richard Pallardy Published
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Fish
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Massive male great white shark tagged and released off Florida coast in new video
By Patrick Pester Published
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Sharks: Facts about some of the ocean's top predators
By Michael Dhar Last updated
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Scientists examine bloody mating wounds to reveal details of sharks' secret sex lives
By Sascha Pare Published
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'Mega momma' great white shark killed on drumline may reveal secrets about iconic predator
By Melissa Hobson Published
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Quiz
Shark quiz: How much do you know about these iconic ocean superstars?
By Lydia Smith Published
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Incredibly rare, ghostly white shark discovered off Albania
By Melissa Hobson Published
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380 million-year-old remains of giant fish found in Australia. Its 'living fossil' descendant, the coelacanth, is still alive today.
By Richard Cloutier Published
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Northern sea robin: The bizarre fish with crab legs it uses to taste the seafloor
By Hannah Osborne Published
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Stunning video shows sharks devouring sea urchins, spines and all
By Jeremy Day Published
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Insects
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Moroccan fly maggot uses fake face on its butt to infiltrate termite colony
By Patrick Pester Published
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Why are flies attracted to humans?
By Margaret Osborne Published
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These insects keep evolving to look like sticks. Why?
By Patrick Pester Published
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'Murder hornets' eradicated, but officials say they'll keep 'an eye out' for more
By Patrick Pester Published
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Plastic-eating mealworms native to Africa discovered
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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Watch mesmerizing video of weird waves that 'shape life itself' inside a fly embryo
By Hannah Osborne Published
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Parasitic 'horror' wasp that bursts from a fly's abdomen like an 'Alien' xenomorph discovered in Mississippi backyard
By Patrick Pester Published
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Kamikaze termites blow themselves up with 'explosive' backpacks — and scientists just figured out how
By Jacklin Kwan Published
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These bacteria trigger a sex change in wasps — scientists finally know how
By Tiffany Taylor Published
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More about Animals
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See heartbreaking photos of 'bumpy' giraffe in South Africa with viral disease rarely seen in these tall animals
By Elise Poore Published
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Why do cats have 'toe beans'?
By Marilyn Perkins Published
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Crocodiles are overheating due to climate change — and it's changing their behavior
By Richard Pallardy Published
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